Due to the improving economy in Illinois and the statewide unemployment rate falling to 5%, the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act is no longer in effect as of March 14th. The law, which requires employees on all public works projects to be comprised of a minimum of 90% Illinois residents, took effect on July 1, 2020, when the jobless rate was above five percent for two consecutive months.
On March 14th, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the state’s jobless rate was five percent, triggering the suspension of enforcement of the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act.
“Following two challenging years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois’ economy is improving thanks to policies implemented by the Pritzker Administration,” said Illinois Department of Labor Acting Director Jane Flanagan. “The Illinois Department of Labor will continue enforcing the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act to ensure public tax dollars are granted to local contractors and workers.”
The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) administers the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act, which was enacted to alleviate unemployment in Illinois by ensuring that most workers on public works projects are residents of the state.
More information about the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act can be found here.
* The Question: Should the Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act be altered to mandate that employees on all public works projects be comprised of a minimum of 90 percent Illinois residents at all times? Explain your answer.
The past couple of weeks have been tough when it comes to the cause of freedom.
Forty-four million people in Ukraine face the threat of an autocratic tyrant after Vladimir Putin started an illegal invasion of their sovereign country. Millions of Ukrainians have fled their homes and left everything behind to protect their families from brutal repression.
But many more have stayed to repel this assault on their democracy. They’ve inspired people around the world to join them in defense of their homeland and one example happens to be a member of our own Democratic Party of Oak Park. Her story is worth your time.
Maria (her last name is being withheld for her safety) has called Oak Park home for the past decade. She was born in Kyiv and has many family members facing grave danger today in this conflict.
A week ago Saturday, Maria was married in Oak Park. Soon she and her husband will cross the border between Poland and Ukraine to join President Volodymyr Zelensky’s newly formed International Legion of Territorial Defense. You can read more about Maria and her husband here:
I could not be prouder that a member of our community and volunteer in our own Democratic Party family has chosen to defend her homeland at such great personal risk.
Maria’s bravery and the spirit of the Ukrainian people compel us to renew our effort in our own democracy. It is easy to fall prey to the pessimism and hopelessness we all feel when times get tough.
But we don’t give up. We move forward, do the work necessary, and remember that the stakes in every opportunity to renew our democratic values are as high as they ever have been.
I pray for the safety of Maria, her husband, her entire family, and the people of Ukraine. Their example is an inspiration to us all.
A Chicago-area Republican congressional candidate on Monday said a now-fired staffer was responsible for a tweet on his account that called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “corrupt thug” while Zelenskyy and his people defend their country against Russia’s invasion.
The tweet, which has since been deleted, appeared on 14th District candidate Jack Lombardi’s Twitter page about midnight Sunday.
It read, in part: “The Ukrainian people are in my heart and prayers. However, President Zelensky is a corrupt thug who leads a corrupt government.”
Lombardi said he didn’t write the tweet and that a campaign worker who had been assisting with tweets did. Lombardi said he learned about the tweet Monday morning after being contacted by the Daily Herald and someone else.
* Rep. Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) is doing his bit by distributing this yard sign…
Moylan said he’s sending out 2,000 postcards at a time to his constituents, regardless of party, asking if they want a sign. He’s usually getting about 500-600 responses per round and then he and his crew delivers the signs and puts them into yards. “The first batch was gone in a week,” Moylan said.
* Richard Irvin’s campaign has the most active press shop of anyone right now. He’s also taking more fire from the Democrats. So, I’m just gonna corral everything I have in this post, although I did put his statement on the LaSalle Veterans’ Home lawsuits on that post.
Let’s start with Madigan and Pritzker…
It’s been a game of stop and go for JB Pritzker on the fallout in state funding to Mike Madigan’s pet projects after he pleaded not-guilty Wednesday to 22-counts of federal charges. Everything Mike Madigan touched is coming into question, including the over $10 million in campaign funding JB Pritzker designated to the criminal enterprise.
Last week, Democratic lawmakers pleaded for Pritzker to freeze the millions of dollars in state funding that was designated towards projects Madigan backed in the Illinois House. After agreeing to freeze them, following an internal caucus fiasco, the funding will again be released. But the larger question looms: if everything tied to Madigan deserves scrutiny, are campaign funds held to the same standard?
To date, it was reported that Madigan has spent nearly $5 million in campaign funds to pay for his ongoing legal fees as the federal investigation rages on. But just a few years prior, JB Pritzker gave $10 million to pad Madigan’s campaign coffers, which he used to enable his criminal enterprise, and now defend it in court.
“The money JB Pritzker gave to Mike Madigan enabled him to keep his power and channel that money to expand the scope of his criminal enterprise that has been under investigation for over two years,” said Irvin for Illinois Campaign spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “There is no clearer sign that JB Pritzker has let the culture of corruption live on in Springfield.”
* Road trip report, with one of the originally attached photos…
Gubernatorial candidate and Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin and his running mate, State Representative Avery Bourne, traveled throughout more than 20 counties over the last week on their #TakeItBack tour where they talked to voters throughout the state about how they will take Illinois back from out-of-control crime, skyrocketing taxes and public corruption.
Counties visited: Adams, Christian, Cook, DuPage, Fayette, Jefferson, Jersey, Kane, Lee, Macon, Madison, McDonough, McHenry, Montgomery, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Rock Island, St. Clair, Saline, Sangamon, Tazewell, Williamson and Winnebago.
* Blue Cross Blue Shield…
The JB Pritzker administration is facing scrutiny for failing to act after a recent investigative report into Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois uncovered a dire situation where thousands of Central Illinois residents are facing higher health care costs and difficulty accessing healthcare. Blue Cross Blue Shield’s decision to remove Springfield clinic and its over 600 doctors from its provider network has resulted in countless Central Illinois patients being forced to choose between joining ever-longer waiting lists at other healthcare providers, or paying inflated out of network charges to continue being treated by their current doctors.
But while Blue Cross Blue Shield was refusing to cover visits to Springfield Clinic, it continued to list Springfield Clinic doctors and specialists on its provider network directory, creating what experts term a “ghost network.” The Blue Cross Blue Shield incident is just one example of what the President of the Illinois State Medical Association calls a statewide problem.
In light of this startling news that has left Illinoisans without proper care under the state’s watch, the Irvin for Illinois campaign is calling on the Pritzker Administration to take the following steps:
• Swiftly investigate Blue Cross Blue Shield’s compliance with the state’s network adequacy requirements, and impose fines for every day it is in violation.
• Order Blue Cross Blue Shield to provide true continuity of care coverage as required by state law and re-adjudicate previous claims that should have been considered in-network.
• Consider capping Blue Cross Blue Shield’s enrollment if the company does not swiftly come into compliance with provider network adequacy requirements.
“This unfortunately isn’t the first time the health and wellbeing of Illinois residents was threatened under JB Pritzker’s watch,” said Irvin for Illinois Spokesperson Eleni Demertzis. “Mismanagement of state agencies is becoming a recurring theme of this administration and it’s clear that Illinois residents can’t afford to rely on this kind of leadership.”
Signing on to this letter again puts him at odds with his running mate on gun control. You’ll remember Irvin called it a “distinct honor” to host the signing ceremony for HB 562 and thanked Governor Pritzker and “bold legislators” who “crossed the aisle to make House Bill 562 reality.”
Bourne voted against HB 562 and said we need to “reform or repeal our FOID System.” Bourne attacked Democrats for rejecting her repeal of the FOID card, saying “What’s worse is that the Democratic majority is doubling down on this failed process by rejecting Republican calls to repeal the FOID…”
Irvin said he wanted to “ensure we get less guns in criminals’ hands” which the Gun Dealer’s Licensing Act that Bourne voted against in 2018 would have also done.
And the other day, Irvin said he wanted to strengthen FOID requirements when asked if he favored getting rid of it altogether.
* DGA…
After two months of hiding from Illinoisans, Richard Irvin continues to dodge and refuse to answer questions. An updated website is now tracking the key issues Irvin’s remained radio silent on.
The DGA updated GriffinSlate.com with a new scorecard today. View the site here.
So far, Irvin has dodged or flip-flopped on abortion, supporting Trump, denouncing the January 6th insurrection, being funded by megadonor Ken Griffin’s gun manufacturing money, and more.
“Radio Silent Richard continues to hide where he stands in a desperate attempt to hide his flip-flopping and unpopular views,” said DGA Senior Communications Advisor Christina Amestoy. “Keep your eyes peeled for updates to the scorecard as Irvin continues to duck and dodge questions from his opponents, reporters, and Illinoisans.”
* While we’re on that topic, Benjamin Cox on WOYM interviewed Irvin the other day and the transcript came in over the transom…
Cox: Mr. Irvin, thanks for coming to Jacksonville. Appreciate it.
Irvin: Hey, it’s good to be here in Jacksonville.
Cox: So obviously, there’s going to be all kinds of questions that you have probably answered 100 times and I really, I don’t want to rehash any…
Irvin: No, no problem at all. I don’t mind answering again.
Cox: The question that I want to ask is, obviously, the litmus test for Republicans in this election is the Donald Trump question. What is your answer to the Donald Trump, January 6 Question?
Richard Irvin: Listen, you know, I think we have to look forward to the future. You know, this election is about who the next governor of Illinois is going to be. And everything that we need to do to compare, you know, myself, and all the other candidates, you know, running on Republican ticket to JB Pritzker. Now, I’m a former prosecutor. So I’m always gonna, you know, focus. And I believe in the Constitution. So, I believe people have the right to peacefully protest. When people break the law, as a former prosecutor, I think they’ve got to be prosecuted. But you know, I don’t know that we should be focusing on the past. We’ve got to focus on the future. We’ve got to focus on the failures that JB Pritzker has had here in the state of Illinois, and what we need to do to get Illinois back on top.
Executive Director José Alvarez submitted a letter of resignation effective today and Chairwoman Dorothy Abreu accepted his resignation and thanked him for his service. Since joining the Tollway in 2019, Alvarez helped the Tollway continue to deliver on its $14 billion Move Illinois capital program, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alvarez informed the Board of his decision to step aside to prioritize his family’s needs and to afford the new chairwoman the opportunity to establish new leadership.
The Illinois tollway’s executive director resigned Tuesday, a few weeks after the board chairman departed following a tumultuous 2021 when state senators scrutinized a power struggle at the agency. […]
Alvarez and former Chairman Will Evans were placed on the tollway by incoming Gov. J.B. Pritzker in early 2019 as part of a reform team following the mass exodus of an administration appointed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner.
Concerns about a power struggle between Alvarez and Evans surfaced in 2021 and the state Senate’s Transportation Committee held a hearing on the issue in December.
Evans retired from the tollway on Feb. 18. Alvarez’s last day was Monday, sources said.
Maybe now things can calm the heck down over there.
A Republican businessman running for governor says taxes are too high in Illinois. If he wins, Gary Rabine would take over a state agency that has unsuccessfully tried to collect more than $10,000 in delinquent taxes from one of his dissolved companies.
“My accounting firm is a great accounting firm, and we’re very seldom actually delinquent,” Rabine said in an interview.
Tax records show the Illinois Department of Employment Security filed a tax lien for $10,262 against Rabine Utility Pavements, LLC, in 2017. Rabine dissolved that company in 2019, according to records filed with the Illinois Secretary of State, but the bill remains unpaid.
When we asked Rabine to explain the delinquency, he said he was unaware of the outstanding debt until we asked him about it. His campaign aides claimed it never showed up in a rigorous financial background check.
“You found the needle in the haystack,” Rabine said in an emailed statement, before blaming the state for failing to properly notify him of his company’s debts.
Pritzker doesn’t have a slate of candidates, per se, but he is expected to support Rep. Margaret Croke in the 5th District and lobbyist and political insider Liz Brown-Reeves in the 15th.
There are state reps running for central committee seats, too, including Rep. Delia Ramirez, who’s separately running for Congress in the new 3rd Congressional District.
In the central committee, Ramirez is challenging Cook County Clerk of the Court Iris Martinez, a longtime committee member who also has served on the Democratic National Committee’s Hispanic Caucus.
“I’m very disappointed that Delia would challenge me. It shows some disrespect for people like me who have opened doors for women,” Martinez told Playbook. “I’m ready for the fight. And it’s going to be a fight that spills into the 3rd Congressional District race.”
Ramirez countered in a separate interview, saying, “It’s sad that a woman in this seat for almost two decades is upset that another woman dares to run for that seat. We should be celebrating. We need more women to run.”
Other contested central committee seats: Senate President Don Harmon is challenging Rep. Danny Davis. And Rep. Bobby Rush, who is retiring from Congress but wants to keep his central committee seat, is being challenged by state Sen. Elgie Sims, state Reps. Marcus Evans and Lamont Robinson; and Anthony Hargrove.
* Sullivan looked silly trying to dodge these questions, but governors cannot “outlaw” cannabis or reverse minimum wage laws on their own…
Jesse Sullivan wants to run against J.B. Pritzker, but how far would he go to campaign against Pritzker’s first-term agenda items? Would he outlaw cannabis? Would he slow or reverse the $15 minimum wage? Sullivan suggests he’d keep those progressive policies in tact if elected. pic.twitter.com/ib84s5nRJO
Sullivan, who was joined by his running mate, Kathleen Murphy, said the move to file on the last day was “strategic.”
“We had more than enough signatures at the beginning of this whole week,” the Petersburg resident told reporters outside the board’s headquarters, apparently meaning the beginning of the filing period.
“We decided that for strategic purposes, we wanted to hold off,” Sullivan said before entering the building. “We kept collecting signatures all the way to the end.”
Two candidates, Terry Martin, a Republican, and Ellis Taylor, a Democrat, filed to run in the 13th Congressional District. Democrats Nikki Budzinski and David Palmer, and Republicans Regan Deering, Matt Hausman and Jesse Reising filed last week.
State Rep. Sandy Hamilton, R-Springfield, and businessman Bill Eddington filed to run as Republicans in the 48th Illinois Senate District. State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Springfield attorney Kent Gray, who was Illinois state director for former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, filed to run against state Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, in the 95th Illinois House District Republican primary. […]
Democrat Sharon Chung, a member of the McLean County Board, filed Monday to run for the 91st Illinois House District. She will face Karla Bailey-Smith in the Democratic primary. Republicans Scott Preston, a member of the Normal Town Council, and James Fisher will face off in a primary.
Attorney Thomas DeVore, who has been at the center of several COVID-related lawsuits against the Pritzker administration, filed petitions to run for Illinois Attorney General. He will face Steve Kim and David Shestokas in the Republican primary. Incumbent Democrat Kwame Raoul is unopposed in the primary.
DeVore has been in Florida since last week. Sen. Jason Plummer filed his petitions for him.
* Press release…
Today, the Democratic Party of Illinois (DPI) and Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association (IDCCA) announced that applications are open for the inaugural Illinois Local Candidate Training Cohort. The Training Cohort is an intensive 12-week program run in partnership with the National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) for Democratic candidates running at the countywide level or below to learn the skills necessary to win local elections and lead in their communities.
“Local elected leaders are the backbone of the Democratic Party, and the DPI is committed to supporting Democratic candidates at every level,” said Rep. Robin Kelly, Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. “Local candidates are often running for office for the first time and do not have the resources or capacity of state or federal campaigns. This Local Candidate Training Cohort is a way for us to build the bench in a sustainable, real-time way for candidates who are running for office right now. The DPI is proud to lead this critical effort along with our Democratic partners in Illinois.”
“The IDCCA recruits, trains, and elects Democratic candidates at every level throughout the state, but we know more can be done building the bench and ensuring good people who share our values are governing. This partner program dovetails with our efforts already underway to support local candidates, which includes our annual Boot Camp.” said Kristina Zahorik, President of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association. “This expanded work with DPI will ensure our candidates get the best possible preparation to win in November. I am excited to partner with DPI because together, we are laying the foundation for the next generation of Democratic leaders in Illinois.”
“We’ve seen it time and time again: a strong investment in training local candidates yields big electoral dividends down the road,” said Kelly Dietrich, founder and CEO of the National Democratic Training Committee. “It is encouraging to see Illinois Democrats continue to invest in their local candidates, and we’re excited to bring this program to the Land of Lincoln.”
Candidates included in the training cohort must be actively running for office in the 2022 midterm elections and cannot be running in a primary against another Democrat. The free training program will cover all basic campaign strategies and tactics. It will take place online weekly in the evenings to give cohort members real-time feedback on the challenges and opportunities faced on the campaign trail. Candidates will continue to receive support after the cohort concludes through their victory in November.
More information about the program, including application information, is available at www.ildems.com/cohort. The application period closes April 1.
* More…
* As Candidate Filing Closes in Illinois, Some Want System Reformed: A candidate would approach a voter and ask if they’re a registered voter within that district. If the voter agrees to “do democracy a solid,” as Cassidy puts it, and agrees to sign the petition, “I hand you my tablet instead of my clipboard. I’ve just pulled you up in the voter file. You verify that that’s you, you check a box, you sign, it verifies that your signature is relatively the same — because we all know what we do on those electronic things too … and bada-bing, bada-boom.” Cassidy says it would mean elections attorneys would lose some business, and incumbents like her would see more competition.
* DPI: QAnon Followers, Big Lie Believers, Trump Acolytes, January 6 Truthers Highlight 2022 ILGOP Line Up
* NARAL Endorses Nikki Budzinski in IL13: Today, NARAL announced their endorsement of Nikki Budzinski in Illinois’ 13th Congressional District. NARAL is a national organization that works to organize their 2.5 million members nationwide for a pro-choice, pro-reproductive freedom agenda. NARAL has 19,364 members in Illinois.
* Big field in Democratic primary for Lake County Board with eight races: With the weeklong filing period now closed, the primary race for sheriff will feature Democrat William C. King challenging incumbent John Idleburg. On the Republican side, Mark A. Vice II, John K. Van Dien II and Jonathan “Jon” Harlow will square off to represent the party in the November election. Only the race for Lake County sheriff will have primaries. The offices of Lake County treasurer, clerk and regional superintendent of schools also are up for contest this year, but none will have a primary race. One wrinkle in the Lake County clerk’s race is that incumbent Robin O’Connor switched parties and is running as a Republican. In November, she’ll face Democratic nominee Anthony Vega, Idleburg’s chief of staff.
…Adding… Press release…
State Representative Sam Yingling’s campaign for Illinois State Senate continues to gain momentum as the Illinois State Conference of the Transport Workers Union of America joins the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois with their endorsement.
“Ilinois’ Labor Unions built the middle class. The Transport Workers Union and the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois give their members a voice in their workplace, protects their rights, and make our communities stronger. I will continue to be a strong voice for Illinois Labor in the State Senate. I am honored to have their support,” said Yingling.
“On behalf of the thousands of Transport Workers Union members in the great state of Illinois, we officially endorse Sam Yingling’s candidacy for the Illinois State Senate. We believe he is the right choice for working men and women because of his continued efforts to protect working families in Illinois. We proudly endorse his candidacy and recognize his advocacy for working families.”
“Our members and their families are under increasing pressure to make ends meet in the face of worsening economic pressures. Having elected officials who understand these challenges and will fight to ease the burden on workers is central to our success. We are confident that Sam Yingling will continue to work for our members and their families, as he has previously done in the past working with our Transport Workers Union Locals in Illinois,” said Terry Daniels, Illinois State Conference Director Transport Workers Union.
“Sam Yingling’s support of issues affecting professional firefighters in Illinois has earned our endorsement. The Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois (AFFI) represents more than 15,000 professional firefighters in 224 affiliates across the State. We wish him the best in his campaign and look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead,” said Chuck Sullivan, President of the Associated Fire Fighters of Illinois.
…Adding… Press release…
Norma Hernandez submits the most signatures in the 77th House District
Melrose Park, IL - Norma Hernandez released the following statement after filing the most signatures for Illinois’ 77th House District. Her campaign submitted over 1,200 signatures in the first day of filing; three times the amount required.
“After yesterday’s close to the filing period, we confirmed that we have the greatest momentum in the field. We went door-to-door and connected with the most voters, and collected the most signatures of any other campaign in the 77th. I am ready to become the first Latina to represent Illinois’ 77th House District! With Latinos making up almost 60% of the population in the district, it is important they have the opportunity to elect someone who understands them, speaks their language and shares their experience. We are looking forward to the next phase of the campaign.”
Hernandez was amongst the first in line at the board of elections on the first day of filing. Also submitting on the first day, incumbent Representative, Kathleen Willis (D-Addison) who turned in 936 signatures. The two will have their names drawn next week to decide ballot position in the Democratic ticket. Later in the week, perennial Republican candidate Anthony Airdo submitted 1,000 signatures.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jesse Sullivan today announced his “Clean Up Illinois” anti-corruption agenda. The roadmap follows on the heels of arraignment of Illinois Democrat House Speaker Michael Madigan on federal racketeering charges.
“We have long known that corruption runs deep in Illinois politics. And that corruption transcends party lines. For decades, Democrats and Republicans have used their positions to curry favor and enrich themselves, and everyday Illinoisans suffer,” Sullivan said.
“We cannot trust political insiders to rid our state of patronage hiring and pay-to-play politics. Only a political outsider – who doesn’t see politics as a career pathway, but as a form of service, can deliver the type of governance, oversight, and accountability that our state so desperately needs.”
The 10-point anti-corruption agenda is the strongest ethics plan released by any gubernatorial candidate, and follows the endorsement of Sullivan’s campaign by former Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope.
Agenda:
1. Implement strict term limits for elected officials. Public service is an act of love for our neighbor, but it is also an act of trust. We cannot allow politicians to use their positions to enrich themselves and their friends. There is no better safeguard than a limit on how long they can hold power.
2. Support fair maps. Fight for a constitutional amendment for a fair legislative redistricting process, which would put redistricting in the hands of an independent commission rather than partisan lawmakers.
3. Pass the harshest public corruption penalties in the country. Support penalty enhancements laid out in 2018’s House Bill 5878, including increasing the fine for bribery from $25,000 to $1 million; doubling the fine for receiving contributions on state property from $5,000 to $10,000; and increasing the maximum fines for engaging in prohibited political activities and improperly serving on state boards and commissions to $10,000 and $35,000 respectively.
4. Make the legislative inspector general a watchdog, not a lapdog. Illinoisans deserve the strongest legislative watchdog in the nation. The LIG should have publishing power, subpoena power, the power to proactively pursue a case rather than simply respond to filed complaints, and the jurisdiction to hold legislators accountable for any egregious actions inside or outside of their official capacity. At minimum, the LIG should have as much power as Chicago’s Office of the Inspector General.
5. End the “honor system” for conflicts of interest in Springfield. Illinois law requires lawmakers to file financial disclosure statements, but not to declare when they face a conflict of interest before taking a vote. Most states require all members of the legislature to disclose conflicts of interest for each measure, and ban lawmakers from voting at all in the case of a conflict. Illinois should require the same.
6. Reform the Legislative Ethics Commission. Add a seat to the Legislative Ethics Commission for a non-legislator citizen, so that the commission cannot kill investigations into their political allies with 4-4 split votes along party lines.
7. Drop J.B. Pritzker’s fight to fire the federally appointed hiring monitor. The people of Illinois should be able to trust that we have their best interests at heart, not the interests of a special few. Our administration will end Pritzker’s fight to fire the patronage hiring monitor and ban paying any gubernatorial staff members with private money, as Pritzker does.
8. Ban sitting lawmakers from coming before the Property Tax Appeals Board as property tax attorneys. Lawmakers should not be able to enrich themselves through an insider appeals process that only exists because of their political malfeasance.
9. Amend conflict of interest laws. We must ensure no lawmaker’s firm can represent client interests before any government agency or legislative body. This ban on self-dealing would function similar to Chicago’s “cross-lobbying ban,” which bars state lawmakers from lobbying City Council.
10. Put an end to the revolving door between legislators and lobbyists. The last “ethics reform” legislation was insufficient. Currently, a loophole allows a legislator to retire a day before the end of their term and begin lobbying their colleagues the next day. Florida has a six-year ban on legislators moving into lobbying positions. We propose a seven-year ban for Illinois, which would be the strongest in the nation. Becoming a legislator should be a form of temporary public service, not a pathway to a lucrative lobbying career.
Agree with it or not, Sullivan is the only Republican candidate who is producing actual ideas. The campaign released its anti-crime agenda not long ago.
Two incumbent state senators appear ready to retire, conveniently leaving their seats open for close friends and family members who turned in petition signatures on the last filing day yesterday.
State Sens. Antonio Muñoz and Steve Landek are listed as candidates for the 1st and the 11th districts, respectively, but so are two of their buddies.
Muñoz’s son-in-law and former campaign manager Javier Loera Cervantes, filed at the last minute to run for the 1st District seat that his father-in-law has held since 1999.
Political insiders call it a shrewd move that would see Muñoz drop out of the race, allowing Cervantes to get on the ballot with no competition for the June 28 primary.
Cervantes, who was taken aback that Playbook would point out the icky optics of him sliding into Muñoz’s seat, said: “Everybody has their opinion. I’m just looking forward to serving if that comes my way.”
Similarly, Landek is expected to step aside to allow his chief of staff, Mike Porfirio, who also filed signatures on the last day, to win the seat. Neither Landek nor Muñoz returned Playbook’s calls or texts for comment.
Political insiders expect the veteran lawmakers want out of politics after seeing their associates operate close to the legal edge.
Bill Lipinski dropped out after the primary and had his kid appointed to the ballot. I don’t recall yesterday’s maneuver being used in the past, but maybe some of y’all have seen this before. As long as no other candidate files, it’s kinda foolproof. And the reformers are gonna absolutely hate this, but I’m not sure you can create a rule to stop this from happening.
State Sen. Chuck Weaver (R-Peoria) announced Thursday he’s retiring at the end of his term.
In his place, Widmer Fabrics CEO Win Stoller will fill the Republican nomination for the district, which stretches from Peoria to Galesburg.
“With Central Illinois at a turning point, everyone must serve where they can cause positive change,” Weaver said in a statement. “I believe I can now make the most positive impact closer to home by serving my community in a different position of service.”
Richard Cieski for years received care at the veterans home in downstate LaSalle that his family recalled as “amazing.” The 89-year-old decorated Korean War Army veteran schmoozed with friends, participated in an array of activities and excelled in an environment even as he coped with escalating dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“They had church. They had animals that came in. They had coffee and conversation. They had haircuts. Physical therapy. Everything. He was clean. His hair was combed. He had his room and it was clean,” a granddaughter, Lindsay Lamb of Lockport, said. “He was thriving in there until it happened.”
That was in November 2020, when the COVID-19 coronavirus began to sweep through the state-run, long-term-care facility for veterans. As the coronavirus ran its deadly course through the LaSalle veterans home, the outbreak led to the deaths of Cieski and 35 other veterans.
“Six of the men ate lunch with my dad and his whole table died. There’s no one left that ate lunch with my dad. They all died within a week of each other,” said one of his daughters, Leslie Lamb of Seneca. “It could have been prevented if protocol was followed.”
The deaths have prompted a series of individual lawsuits against the state on behalf of the families of 26 veterans who died of COVID-19 or coronavirus-related illnesses. The lawsuits, which began being filed last week in LaSalle County, allege negligence and wrongful death and could cost the state millions of dollars.
* Press release…
Levin & Perconti filed lawsuits for the families of 27 veterans who contracted COVID-19 due to a preventable outbreak at LaSalle Veterans’ Home in late 2020. Twenty-six of those veterans needlessly died and suffered painful deaths isolated from their families according to the lawsuits. The families filed lawsuits against the state of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs, LaSalle Veterans’ Home and several senior administrative, medical and nursing staff members at the long-term care facility. The lawsuits allege although COVID-19 safety protocols were well known by the time of the outbreak, LaSalle Veterans’ Home did not have a comprehensive COVID-19 plan nor did staff members abide by even the most basic safety protocols.
The outbreak began November 1, 2020, when two residents and two employees tested positive for COVID-19. By the end of the month, more than 200 people had tested positive. In all, 36 veterans died. According to the lawsuits, various LaSalle employees — including nurses, nursing assistants and nurses’ aides — attended an off-site party on October 31, 2020. As residents and staff tested positive for COVID-19 in the following days, nursing staff continued to report to work and care for residents and veterans who tested positive were not isolated from other residents. Staff members were not following safety protocols, such as wearing masks, temperature checks, or washing their hands. The facility did not even have effective hand sanitizer according to the complaints.
“It’s not like they did something and did it wrong. It’s not like they took action that turned out to be wrong in light of greater knowledge. They did little to nothing. That is what is so shocking,” said Levin & Perconti founder and senior partner, Steven Levin. “Many of these veterans died alone, suffering from air
hunger and respiratory failure. It is true human suffering to be unable to breathe, alone and frightened, without any comfort or support.”
In a scathing report, by the Illinois Inspector General, state investigators called staff’s handling of the outbreak “inefficient, reactive and chaotic” and found a lack of preparation “contributed to the scope of the outbreak.” According to the report, LaSalle leadership failed to effectively communicate, train and educate employees. Many staffers acted like they were unaware of basic infection control protocols.
“The state investigated itself and found itself guilty. The state of Illinois now must take accountability and do the right thing for the families of the victims,” said Levin & Perconti managing partner Michael Bonamarte. “When families learned about the extent of the negligence at LaSalle, it was particularly shocking and devastating and made the loss of their loved ones so much more painful. These men chose to spend their final years at LaSalle Veterans’ Home because they trusted they would be safe. The state betrayed that trust.”
Ironically, the families of the victims were following established COVID-19 protocols. They were not allowed inside the veterans’ home to see their loved ones in an effort to keep them safe from the virus. By late 2020, many of the veterans’ families thought there was light at the end of the tunnel. They had kept safe distances, communicating through windows. Vaccines were about to become widely available.
Plaintiff David Liesse’s father. Jerome Liesse, tested positive for COVID-19 on a Friday in November 2020, and died the following Tuesday. Liesse was a World War II veteran who earned three medals for his service.
“My dad died before he should have. Someone had to bring COVID into his room and it was not the families. It didn’t jump through the window,” said David Liesse. “How can you have an administration that allows people to run a veterans home with such lax security and scrutiny over what’s happening? Someone needs to be responsible for what was done, what wasn’t done and what was supposed to be done.”
Plaintiff Mary Beth Schomas said no one from the VA notified her that her father died after contracting COVID-19 during the LaSalle outbreak. She learned about his death from the hospital where he passed. Her father, U.S. Army veteran Bernard Schomas, served as a medic in World War II under General George S. Patton. Schomas was at the Battle of the Bulge and earned numerous medals.
“When I went to LaSalle to pick up his stuff, they just acted like it was no big deal. Here it is. Go. He was one of the healthiest old guys there. There was no reason for him to die had they taken care of him,” said Mary Beth Schomas.
“We gave them our trust to take care of him and that was betrayed,” said Lindsay Lamb. Her grandfather, Richard Cieski served during the Korean War. He earned three service medals and entered LaSalle Veterans’ Home in 2017 due to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. He suffered without morphine for some of the final hours of his life as he struggled to breath because the home ran out of it.
“These men served our country and protected us and probably experienced things that we could never understand. And they weren’t treated correctly. They weren’t given the same type of respect that they gave us, and it’s not fair. To be left alone to die is even worse,” said Lamb.
Making matters more frustrating for the families is that, starting in 2015, a series of similarly mishandled outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease occurred at Quincy Veterans’ Home in downstate Illinois. At least 14 deaths were linked to the preventable, water-borne illness. The state was sued by multiple families and paid out millions in settlements.
Governor JB Pritzker referred to the outbreaks as “fatal mismanagement,” at the time when he was running against incumbent Governor Bruce Rauner for governor. In the aftermath of the Legionnaires’ outbreak at the Quincy Veterans’ Home, a third-party audit in 2019 made recommendations for improvement of the infection control policies at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. “These recommendations were ignored and disregarded. Neither the state nor the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs learned from their previous mistakes,” Bonamarte said.
“The families’ hope in bringing these lawsuits is to effectuate change and garner the attention of the people in power to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again,” Levin said.
“It is time for the state of Illinois to finally be accountable and make our veterans homes a model for the nation rather than a poster child for how not to treat those who have given our nation so much.”
There’s a press conference this morning to discuss the case further.
* Gary Rabine…
Over the last several days, multiple lawsuits have been filed on behalf of the veterans who died from COVID at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home. They describe in detail the gross negligence and utter neglect by the Pritzker Administration in caring for these veterans. As JB continues to do his victory lap on his handling of the COVID pandemic, the truth is now revealed; while he was ordering businesses to shut their doors and issuing mask mandates, he was also ignoring veterans dying on his watch. JB can’t pass the buck to the former Illinois Director of Veterans Affairs any longer. He needs to be brought before the legislature and explain how and why he ignored our veterans and let them die horrific deaths on his watch. JB needs to be held accountable.
…Adding… Jesse Sullivan…
“Today’s lawsuit confirms the tragic reality of what we already knew: The Pritzker administration’s incompetence and abdication of duty cost Illinois veterans their lives. These families deserve justice in court. If state government cannot guarantee the safety of our heroes, it needs to get out of the business of managing these facilities altogether.”
…Adding… ILGOP…
“Our nation’s heroes deserve nothing but the best care,” said ILGOP Executive Director Shaun McCabe. “But under Pritzker, they got our worst. And sadly, many succumbed to preventable deaths. These families deserve to be heard and the Governor must be held accountable.”
…Adding… Richard Irvin…
“These veterans put our freedom first when they proudly and selflessly served our country. Extreme negligence and incompetence by the Pritzker Administration led to their tragic deaths. Their families deserve swift justice, and we must ensure this travesty never happens again.”
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
Every life lost to coronavirus weighs heavily on the hearts of the Governor and all members of his administration. That’s why Gov. Pritzker implemented public health strategies like mandatory mask use and indoor gathering limits to prevent the spread of COVID and protect the state’s most vulnerable residents. The Governor appealed to members of various communities who fought against proven mitigation strategies to think of their family, neighbors and friends that were more susceptible to the worst outcomes of COVID, urging everyone to comply. While IDVA was working to address the COVID outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home, the state conducted a thorough transparent review of the response to identify shortcomings, immediately take corrective actions and hold those who fell short of expectations accountable. The Governor has appointed a new director of IDVA who has a medical background with years of experience running veterans homes and has worked to implement new policies and procedures to keep residents healthy and safe.
Kathy Salvi today announced the launch of her campaign for U.S. Senate. Kathy has devoted her career to serving others and will work hard every day to improve the lives of the people of Illinois. Her focus will be on fighting inflation and rebuilding the economy, supporting law enforcement and making our communities safer, and addressing the corruption that has run rampant by the Pritzker/Madigan Machine.
“I am running for U.S. Senate to restore faith in our government and provide Illinoisans the leadership they deserve,” said Salvi. “The policies of the radical left have failed our children in the classroom, made our communities less safe, and forced many businesses to close. Working men and women struggle to make ends meet due to rising costs and high taxes. Partisan politics, corruption, and the radical progressive agenda is prevailing over the best interests of the people of Illinois.”
Salvi’s experience makes her an effective leader who can get things done on the issues that matter to the people of Illinois. She will work to create good jobs, fight to lower costs, make our communities safer, support law enforcement, and end corruption.
“We’ve seen first-hand in Illinois what one-party rule leads to: corruption, out of control spending, and policies that are completely out of touch with the people our elected officials swore an oath to serve,” said Salvi. “We know what works and what does not. Illinois needs a Senator who is willing to challenge the elites, special interests, and progressive agendas to get things done and return sanity to government.”
Kathy and her husband Al have six children, two grandchildren, and currently reside in Mundelein, where they raised their family. She is a partner at the law firm of Salvi & Maher and has managed the firm for more than three decades.
Al won the GOP nomination for US Senate in 1996, defeating Lieutenant Governor Bob Kustra, and then lost to Dick Durbin. Al also won the GOP primary for secretary of state in 1998, defeating state Rep. Bob Churchill, then lost to Jesse White. Kathy Salvi has token opposition , but she’ll need to raise some money or put in her own.
I’ve told you before that both parties’ polling shows incumbent Sen. Tammy Duckworth polling very well.
* The Question: Why do you think Sen. Duckworth is so popular here that the establishment GOP didn’t even bother to field a candidate against her?
Facing mounting criticism from Republicans over a rise in violent crime, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed spending $20 million on a long-neglected witness protection program for people whose lives are put in danger by helping law enforcement.
The program was created under a nearly decade-old state law that requires law enforcement to pay for moving and relocation expenses for witnesses and victims who fear retaliation for testifying against those accused of violent crimes.
But the program has not been funded under Pritzker or his predecessors. While law enforcement authorities say retaliation against witnesses is rare, and relocation is not often necessary, the move to fund the state program has backing from members of both parties.
“The fact that we did not fund the program was a dangerous miscalculation on our part as budget people in the state of Illinois because there are so many people in Illinois, especially Chicago, that are willing to help solve these crimes but they are afraid because there’s no protection for them,” said state Rep. La Shawn Ford, a Chicago Democrat.
An environmental bill that would require the removal of pollutants near the shores of Lake Michigan is advancing in the General Assembly, despite objections from opponents who argue the legislation singles out one company unfairly.
Midwest Generation, a branch of New Jersey-based power company NRG, plans to close its coal-fired power plant in Waukegan in June. The company made the announcement in June 2021, citing financial issues and a “transition from coal” as the reasons for closing.
At the time, legislators in Springfield were debating a clean energy bill and setting a date for the closure of coal plants in Illinois.
The plant has been in operation since the 1920s and was owned by ComEd prior to Midwestern Generation purchasing the site 20 years ago, Dave Shrader, NRG senior manager, said in a statement.
* Press release…
State Senators Sara Feigenholtz and Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) are spearheading a measure to restore vehicle emissions testing sites within the city of Chicago limits after they were removed over five years ago.
“The city of Chicago has a population of 2.8 million people,” Feigenholtz said. “Removing every last testing station within the city was an ill-conceived scheme and another post-mortem blunder of the Rauner administration.”
Senate Bill 1234 would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to submit a plan to open testing sites in Chicago, outlining potential locations, implementation plans and timelines.
“The closure of these stations in 2016 created a burden for our residents, and I’m glad that we are going to create a plan that will make emissions testing more convenient for the residents of Chicago and the near suburbs,” Martwick said.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency made a unilateral decision to close four vehicle emissions testing sites in Chicago in 2016, leaving drivers in a lurch and forcing them to spend hours traveling to the suburbs.
“Our office receives emails and calls from constituents who have to drive long distances and wait in long lines,” Feigenholtz said.
In response to countless constituent calls to restore closer sites, Feigenholtz is responding despite some pushback from the IEPA.
Senate Bill 1234 passed the Senate with a vote of 52-0 and will be heard in the House Transportation: Vehicles & Safety Committee Wednesday.
A law that allows McHenry County voters to eliminate their local townships could be repealed under legislation considered during a hearing Thursday.
The repeal was requested by McHenry County Board late last year, and McHenry Board Chairman Mike Buehler and Deputy County Administrator Scott Hartman spoke in favor of the repeal during Thursday’s committee hearing.
“Years ago, one of our townships was embroiled in controversy,” Buehler said. “But without crucial local support, this current law has a multitude of issues.”
No township in the county has been successfully dissolved since the law was passed two years ago, which county officials have argued shows the law is not necessary. They also questioned why it applies only to McHenry County and said it offers almost no guidance for how our county government would handle the assets, responsibilities, contracts and employees of an eliminated township.
Illinois lawmakers could soon cast a final vote on $1 billion of additional borrowing to extend existing pension buyout programs as they eye action on two of the state’s fiscal sore spots — pensions and the rainy day fund.
The Senate Pensions Committee advanced the legislation laid out in HB4292 in a bipartisan vote Wednesday, setting the stage for a floor vote later this month, according to committee Chairman Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago. The measure passed the House Feb. 24 and has Gov. J.P. Pritzker’s support.
“What this bill does is simply authorize the administration to issue another billion of bonds and extend this buyout program in an attempt to capture further savings,” Martwick said. “By using bonds to pay for the buyouts we are leveraging those returns even further because we are getting low cost bonds and we are leaving assets in the pension system.”
wo bills pending in the General Assembly would rein in the ability of tech giants like Apple and Google to dictate how transactions are conducted, and how much of a cut they receive from those transactions, when consumers make certain kinds of purchases using smartphone apps.
The bill would make Illinois the first state to regulate that segment of the e-commerce industry, but a broader bill is also pending in Congress where it appears to have bipartisan support.
Currently, app developers pay Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store an annual fee to distribute their apps on those platforms. In addition, however, Apple and Google take a commission percentage on what are known as “digital-only” transactions like dating services, journalism or digital music — those that do not involve the purchase of physical goods or services.
Those commissions amount to 15% of the transaction on the first $1 million of sales, and 30% of all transactions above that.
A housing bill that passed the Illinois House last spring is strongly opposed by Illinois landlords.
House Bill 2775 requires landlords who prefer not to participate in the Section 8 subsidized rent program to accept Section 8 tenants and sign a contract that would subject them to the rules and requirements of the local housing authority. Among the bill’s advocates are members of disability rights groups, who say they need more housing options.
Landlord organizations say the measure is one-sided, and would take away landlord rights.
Paul Arena, director of legislative affairs for the Illinois Rental Property Owners Association, said the bill requires landlords who do not want to sign Section 8 contracts to do so.
* And, finally today, HB4821 passed the House unanimously and is awaiting Senate action when the lords return next week from their latest break…
State snake. The reptile Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum, commonly known as the “Eastern Milksnake”, is designated the official State snake of the State of Illinois.
Why do I get the feeling that this bill will be shelled out and used as a vehicle for something important? The Senate Dems have been rather mischievous with that practice. “CEMETERY OVERSIGHT-SUNSET” was the official big board title of the bill they shelled and replaced with the first legislative redistricting maps, for example.
Somebody most definitely has a weird sense of humor over there. And “STATE DESIGNATIONS-STATE SNAKE” could be a hilarious title for all sorts of things.
With less than 100 days until the green flag waves at the start of the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) on June 5, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announce the race’s official name: Enjoy Illinois 300, sponsored by the Illinois Office of Tourism.
“The Enjoy Illinois 300 establishes Illinois’ own World Wide Technology Raceway as the country’s standout track for stock car, open-wheel, and drag racing alike,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “I promised to be our state’s best Chief Marketing Officer, and with the return of NASCAR to Illinois, visitors from around the nation have yet another reason to come explore all that Metro East has to offer. This is an incredible opportunity to showcase Illinois and we look forward to welcoming NASCAR fans to our great state.”
The NASCAR Cup Series is enjoyed by millions of viewers across the globe nearly year-round – at the track, on television and through robust digital platforms. These events are credited with delivering millions of dollars annually to host communities. An economic impact study recently completed by The Rawlings Sports Business Management Department at Maryville University projects that this NASCAR Cup Series event will produce at least $60 million in economic impact for the region, attracting more than 83,000 fans.
“As we prepare to host the largest spectator event in the state, we are thrilled to partner with the Illinois Office of Tourism to deliver the best Illinois has to offer,” said Curtis Francois, Owner & CEO of WWTR. “We have worked in close collaboration with officials from the Metro East and St. Louis to create one of the nation’s premier destinations for the motorsports industry and its incredibly passionate fans, and I look forward to hosting them for this historic race weekend.”
“We are excited to partner with WWTR to become the title sponsor for the Enjoy Illinois 300, the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at this track,” said Sylvia I. Garcia, Acting Director of DCEO. “This is an incredible opportunity to drive economic development and tourism in the Metro East region and we look forward to attracting visitors from around the country who will travel to Illinois for race weekend and see all our great state has to offer.”
The week will feature several other events, such as: the World of Outlaws Late Model Series at nearby Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Illinois, on Friday, June 3; the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota 200 on Saturday, June 4 and conclude with the Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday, June 5. There will be live entertainment from local, regional, and national musicians all weekend at WWTR.
Race week will officially kick off on Thursday, June 2 with a NASCAR hauler parade through downtown St. Louis, which will cross the Mississippi River and arrive at the track, officially commencing the start of Cup Series race festivities – bringing together communities in both states to celebrate the arrival of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers and teams.
“From the minute the opportunity came on our radar, Governor Pritzker and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity joined me in making the case to NASCAR that St. Clair County would be the right place for a Cup Series Race” said Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville). “The fact that the race will be called ‘Enjoy Illinois 300’ is a testament to Illinois’ commitment and excellence when it comes to executing large-scale events. I look forward to welcoming tens of thousands of NASCAR fans to the Metro East as they come see everything we have to offer.”
“The more than 250 annual events at WWTR have been a tremendous tourism driver for the state,” said Karla Flannery, Deputy Director of the Illinois Office of Tourism. “As the only racetrack in the U.S. to host the elite series from each of the three major race sanctioning bodies – NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA – hundreds of thousands of visitors support this multipurpose venue each year. We are proud to support the continuing economic growth and development at WWTR as it evolves into a vibrant multi-faceted entertainment district.”
Good for them. And good for the region.
* Francois gave Gov. Pritzker a racing helmet during the event and I kept hoping he’d try it on for size, at one point yelling “Put it on, man!” at my computer screen. But alas, he apparently has more sense than Gov. Dukakis…
“You need a crash helmet when you’re governor,” Pritzker said.
Crude oil made its way into Cahokia Creek Friday after it leaked from a pipeline operated by Marathon Pipe Line.
Authorities say the leak occurred at about 11:45 a.m. at the intersection of Illinois Route 143 and Illinois Route 159. Hazmat crews from Madison County EMA, Madison County Hazmat and crews from the Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery and the Marathon Pipe Line responded.
The State of Illinois sent a news release saying initial reports estimate that 3,000 barrels, which amounts to 165,000 gallons, leaked and impacted the water in Cahokia Creek. The statement said the leak has been contained in the creek for now. Marathon Pipe Line and the EPA are conducting air monitoring of the site. […]
Marathon posted an update on Saturday, saying between 2,200 and 3,000 barrels were recovered by Saturday evening. Air monitoring of the spill continues. No hazardous levels of oil have been detected as of Saturday. Some wildlife that has been affected is being treated on site.
On March 11, 2022, the National Response Center and Illinois Emergency Management Agency received reports regarding the release of crude oil from a pipeline, which impacted Cahokia Creek. The release occurred near IL Rte. 143 and Old Alton-Edwardsville Road. The Marathon pipeline runs parallel to Cahokia Creek, and the release was observed flowing out of the bank on the creek along the pipeline right-of-way. Initial reports estimated the release at 3,000 barrels (or 165,000 gallons). Emergency responders were notified, and representatives from Illinois EPA and U.S. EPA arrived on site.
Several sets of booms have since been deployed in the creek, both skirted and absorbent boom. Additional deployments are planned. At this time, the crude oil is contained in the creek. Vac trucks are recovering product at several locations. Marathon and U.S. EPA are establishing air monitoring near the site. The investigation and remediation at the site continue.
The referral asks the Attorney General’s Office to represent the Illinois EPA to ensure that Marathon completely remediates the release and coordinates with Illinois EPA, as well as federal and local agencies, to implement appropriate compliance measures. Those compliance measures include, but are not limited to, removing all product in any affected waterway; assessing the integrity of the pipelines and repair as necessary; investigating and fully delineating the extent of the spill to both soil and groundwater; and submitting and implementing a corrective action plan as necessary.
Marathon Pipe Line (MPL) released more late Saturday morning about the crude oil spill near Edwardsville. MPL Communications Director Jamil T. Kheiry released these comments:
• Upon detecting the release Friday morning, March 11, MPL shut down the pipeline and deployed response resources.
• Crude oil reached the Cahokia diversion channel, and MPL has deployed boom at several locations along the channel to contain it.
• No injuries have been reported.
• MPL has deployed air monitoring in the area as a precaution and has detected no hazardous level of emissions.
• There are no water intakes or private wells in the immediate vicinity of the release.
• MPL resources deployed to the area for cleanup activities include boom, vacuum trucks, skimmers, and excavating equipment. Additional personnel and equipment are en route to the location to assist in cleanup activities.
• We are working with local, state, and federal agencies as we respond.
• MPL’s top priorities are to ensure the safety of responders, the community and to limit the environmental impact as we respond to the release and conduct cleanup activities.
• An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the release.
• The removal of crude oil from the Cahokia diversion channel continues. Boom has been placed at several locations along the channel to contain the spilled crude. Boats are now being deployed on the channel to assist in the retrieval of oil from the water.
• As of Sunday, March 13, at 7 p.m. Central Time, approximately 2,900 barrels of oil and water mixture has been recovered from the Cahokia diversion channel.
• Repair on the line is underway.
• There have been reports of odors near areas affected by the release, and air monitoring resources continue to be deployed in the area as a precaution. Air monitoring has detected no hazardous level of emissions. […]
• Expert resources have been called in to monitor the spill area and to help retrieve and treat wildlife that have been affected by oil. Expert consultants and environmental agencies have been engaged in the response to assist with care of impacted wildlife. Veterinary staff is on site to assist in the treatment of the animals.
• We have deployed audible deterrent to keep wildlife away from the affected area.
• MPL is providing all needed resources to recover and rehabilitate impacted wildlife. Volunteers are not needed at this time.
Edwardsville is one of my favorite towns in this state. My thoughts are with the residents.
* The governor was nearby today and was asked about the state’s response…
We have our Illinois EPA on site, working with local officials, making sure that we’re protecting drinking water, that we’re doing everything we can in the area to avoid any further environmental damage. And of course, we’ve contacted the Attorney General, working with the Attorney General to make sure that we hold the company accountable for all the expense that will no doubt ensue as a result of the spill.
The contract dispute that disrupted continuity of care and sent medical bills skyrocketing for Springfield Clinic patients with Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plans impacted several state and federal lawmakers living in Central Illinois.
“I know I speak on behalf of my constituents, but you know I have health insurance, too,” state senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) said on Wednesday. “I have family members that have health insurance coverage, so it becomes very personal.”
In a recent radio interview, Turner described how the disruption in coverage and benefits nearly complicated the pregnancy of a member of her family. When Blue Cross Blue Shield kicked Springfield Clinic’s 650 doctors out of its network, patients who relied on that insurance plan suddenly learned they’d have to pay much higher out-of-network prices to continue seeing their favorite doctor or specialist.
“It created a lot of anxiety,” Turner said. “When people have insurance, they just assume that that health care is going to be accessible to them whenever they need it.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield, the largest health insurer in the state, said it “cannot and will not arbitrarily overpay” Springfield Clinic under the terms of their old contract. The two sides have not shared specific details underlying the contract dispute, but a spokeswoman for Blue Cross said medical costs in Springfield are “among the highest in the state – as much as 16% higher than Chicago.”
In its push to drive costs lower, Blue Cross is driving Springfield Clinic patients to other doctors, and in many cases, it is driving its own paying customers to cancel their insurance plans.
Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Illinois 13th District) and state senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) were among the patients to cancel their insurance coverage with Blue Cross over the dispute.
“I left BCBS after being a customer for 25 years because of this dispute and our loyalty to the great doctors and care we get from Springfield Clinic,” Davis said through a spokesman. “In fact, my wife received her own cancer treatments from the health care community in Springfield under BCBS coverage 23 years ago.” […]
McClure called it “very troubling” that “people that need health care — that have what is supposed to be a fantastic plan — can’t get reasonable coverage for things that they need, and trying to go to a provider, that is nowhere near them, that maybe doesn’t exist before they get coverage.”
“If that were my mom and dad, they wouldn’t have a way to go to a specialist in Chicago or or St. Louis,” state senator Sally Turner (R-Lincoln) said. “They wouldn’t be able to get there unless I personally could take them there.”
* Big Blue is definitely feeling the heat. From an internal company memo…
Steve Hamman
Illinois Plan President
To: BCBSIL Employees
Springfield Clinic Reporting
Likely, you have heard about and/or been directly impacted by Springfield Clinic leaving some of our networks last November, so I wanted to connect with you, as Central Illinois employees — and as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois members.
We understand how deeply personal health care is and, as you well know, we don’t often “break up” with providers. Unfortunately, Springfield Clinic, a for-profit entity, is demanding a 75% increase in their reimbursement rates on top of their current inflated reimbursement already 60% higher than Chicago. That unfair burden would fall on all members and employer groups in Central Illinois, already reeling from inflationary expenses during these challenging times.
What matters most is how we support our members — including you. Our purpose is to do everything in our power to stand with our members in sickness and health, and we strive to live up to that every day. Delivering exceptional customer service is top of mind for all of us, but recent media reports aren’t sharing the full picture about how we’re treating some of our members previously or currently served by Springfield Clinic.
More than 1,400 of our members have been approved for continuity of care, allowing them to continue treatment for serious health conditions at Springfield Clinic and at the in-network benefit level. When we learned some members’ claims may not have been processing correctly, we began reviewing all of them to make sure they’re right. We’re not perfect, but when we find errors, we fix them.
It’s been unfortunate that we’ve not been given opportunities to respond to these media reports in their full context and were denied member information in advance of the news stories to research and respond, which has created misleading representations of our company and our work on behalf of our members in Central Illinois.
One report questioned the validity of our Central Illinois networks, even though we offer more than 3,000 care options for members no longer served by Springfield Clinic — and that number is growing. Several hundred members each month are finding and using other in-network providers in Central Illinois including Memorial Health, SIU, and St. John’s to meet their health care needs –- numbers we see in our claims data.
We all work hard to live up to our purpose. I want you to understand the truth about how we’re being portrayed and to be proud of our commitment to members and the communities we serve. We will continue to strive for value in health care –- affordability, access and quality — for you, our members and our employer groups. Thank you for representing BCBSIL so well in all you do!
Congressional earmarks are back! Illinois delegation — except for one member — hauls in federal cash […]
All 13 Illinois House Democrats requested projects. Four of the five Illinois House Republicans also asked for earmarks.
Freshman Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., is the only Illinois member to not apply for any earmarks. She joined her Freedom Caucus colleagues in objecting to the revival of earmarks. Once they became available, she didn’t apply for any.
That denied her district — based in southern Illinois — a lot of federal money for worthy projects. […]
Miller is locked in a June GOP primary with Rep. Rodney Davis. Davis, among other earmarks, got $1 million for security screening improvements at Willard Airport in Champaign and $3 million for the city of Gillespie.
A suburban high school staffer. A former Chicago Police sergeant. A South Side college professor.
None of them believe the 2020 election results were legitimate. Some of them seem to promote the spread of much darker conspiracy theories even more detached from reality — namely, that a global cabal of Satanic pedophiles plotted to prevent former President Donald Trump from winning a second term.
And they all want your vote.
A slate of far-right conspiracy theorists have filed to run in June’s Republican primary for nominations for Illinois public offices ranging from governor to a seat in Congress, aiming to amplify baseless claims of rampant voter fraud and to “take back” the government.
Their website features a slogan and symbol linked to QAnon supporters, although one of the candidates sought to downplay the connection.
McHenry County’s elections this year will include new processes — including counting by hand a randomly selected race — which officials hope will improve both election integrity and voters’ confidence in the system.
County Clerk Joe Tirio, who has come under fire for his office’s handling of recent elections, said he thinks McHenry County is the first to implement such changes.
The changes are meant to address concerns raised by voters about the accuracy of the equipment used in the elections, which they hope to “quell” with the new process.
The hand count will be in addition to the state-mandated audit, Tirio said in a news release.
Illinois Constitutional Convention delegates had a choice of when to put the plan in motion—either 1972 or 1976 would become a two-year term for governor. They chose 1976, meaning 1978 would be the state’s first election where the governor candidates didn’t have to follow the presidential contenders on the ballot.
During the proceedings, however, Constitutional Convention delegate Paul Elward tried to undo the switch. Elward, an ally of then-Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and a state representative who became a judge the same year as the convention, predicted a drop off of about 20% of voters if Illinois separated its election for governor from the one for president.
“The purpose, quite frankly, is to make sure that we do not downgrade state government into something that is secondary of consideration to the general public,” Elward said during debate.
Delegate Jeanette Mullen of Barrington took the opposite view.
“It seems to combine the state election with a national election does not emphasize state government. At that time, everyone is more concerned with national issues and who is going to be the next president, and I suggest that greater emphasis can be put on our state affairs by electing our state officials in an off year,” she said.
The push to keep things the same failed, with only 30 votes in support to 74 against. One of the delegates voting for the status quo? Michael J. Madigan, who was months away from winning his first term representing a Southwest Side district in the Illinois House on his way to becoming the nation’s longest-serving speaker. He’s now fighting a federal political corruption racketeering charge. […]
Midterm general election turnout hit a low of 48.6% in 2006 following a nasty campaign full of attack ads between then-Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich and then-Republican Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka. The high point since the split was the close contest in 1982 between then-Gov. Thompson and former Democratic U.S. Sen. Adlai Stevenson III. Nearly 65% of registered voters came out as Thompson was re-elected by just 5,000 votes.
Since then, the state’s biggest turnout percentage-wise was in 2018, when Democrat J.B. Pritzker downed then-Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. Turnout was 57.2%, a feat notable because polls had Pritzker way ahead and he won by nearly 16 points. Then-President Donald Trump’s unpopularity in Illinois was a big factor in the relative mid-term surge.
Democrats running for a chance to replace U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Illinois) in Congress are struggling to excite donors and raise funds, and face a steep uphill climb in the fundraising fight against Republican candidate Esther Joy King.
Federal election records show King has already raised $1.6 million this cycle, while Democratic candidates Jonathan Logemann, Eric Sorensen, Angela Normoyle, Litesa Wallace, and Marsha Williams have combined to raise just $416,011. More than half of those funds sit in the campaign funds for Logemann and Sorensen who each raised just over $100k so far.
Why aren’t donors more excited about backing a Democratic candidate in the primary contest?
“That’s a good question that I’m still trying to figure out as a state central committeeman,” state representative Maurice West (D-Rockford) said.
Host: And, of course, when you’re in a border community like Quincy it’s really easy to slip across the river and get [gas] for, you know, fifty cents cheaper.
Irvin: Exactly right. And there are a lot of borders around the state, the state of Missouri, you know, Indiana, you know, Ohio, you know, all these states right around, Kentucky, you know, and Tennessee. So, it’s easy to go to those other states that don’t have the same tax rate as we do and we have to recognize that.
He was right on the concept, but fabulously wrong on the geography. Ohio and Tennessee are not border states except in this special map drawn by a pal…
*** UPDATE *** Fritz Kaegi…
Recent reporting by the Daily Line shows video of Cook County Assessor candidate Kari Steele handing out cash alongside right-wing Republican Jeanne Ives. The following is a statement from Assessor Kaegi:
“I ran for office as a progressive Democrat because I wanted to make our property tax system transparent, fair and equitable for everyone in Cook County. Progress is hard work, and undoing generations of corrupt politics that put wealthy property owners ahead of middle class families won’t happen overnight—but we’ll never get there by going backwards. And no one in this state is more backwards than Jeanne Ives.”
Below is a statement from Kari Steele’s campaign in response to Fritz Kaegi and the capfax post on the Willie Wilson event from a few weeks ago. Thanks.
Attribute to Kari Steele’s Spokesperson, Isabelle Dienstag:
It’s going to be a long desperate campaign for Fritz Kaegi if he’s spending his time worried about who his opponent is standing next to in a hallway.
He’s had a string of bad press and this is his bumbling attempt to distract from his failed record of botched COVID relief and the fact that he’s raising assessments on homeowners by 26%.
Jeanne Ives’ views are repugnant and do not further polite discourse. Kari was surprised to see her in a room at an event for seniors who she consistently voted to deprive of vital services. The event was about assisting seniors who are living on $2 a day–that was Kari’s sole focus. She cannot control who Willie Wilson invites.
Kari has no interest in appearing at events with Ives, but when there’s a greater purpose–meeting people in need and hearing their stories–she will always put people above ignorant politicians.
Unlike Fritz Kaegi, whose failed policies are hurting the Black community.
* I received a bunch of text messages yesterday claiming that Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t finish the South Side Irish Parade for security reasons. Someone even tweeted about it. The governor participated by invitation of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, and an aide to Executive Secretary-Treasurer Gary Perinar told me the governor was never on a float (the council didn’t even have a float) and walked the entire parade route to the end.
The video was sent phone-to-phone, so it’s blurry.
…Adding… Maybe now we can turn to the very real and IMPORTANT story of how Chicago FOP President John Catanzara wore orange to the Northwest Side Irish Parade. Kind of a faux pas, unless he’s an Orangeman.
For decades, House Speaker Michael Madigan and everyone around him insisted that the man was always very scrupulous and extremely careful about not only the language that he used, but the language he allowed to be used in his presence.
For instance, if a property tax client of his law firm began to speak about legislation they were interested in, Madigan insisted he would immediately stop the conversation in its tracks and inform the client that he could do nothing for them. And nobody else ever said otherwise.
And that’s why these new Chinatown revelations in Madigan’s indictment are so startling to so many.
For instance: “On or about June 23, 2017, after [Ald. Danny Solis] informed MADIGAN that: (i) representatives of Company C would meet with MADIGAN so that MADIGAN could seek legal work for his private firm; (ii) Company C still needed to deal with [Solis] ‘in terms of zoning’ for the [Chinatown] Apartment project; and (iii) ‘I think they understand how this works, you know, the quid pro quo, the quid pro quo,’ MADIGAN said, ‘Okay. . . . Very good.’”
The Madigan of legend would’ve immediately stopped all dealings with Solis when he mentioned “quid pro quo.”
But the Madigan portrayed in the indictment kept right on meeting with Solis for more than a year and allegedly conspired to pass state legislation to clear the way for a Chinatown real estate project and obtain a state position for Solis, all in order to obtain legal fees for his law firm and perhaps a contract for his son’s insurance firm.
Those Chinatown property tax legal fees, by the way, wouldn’t have generated nearly the same income as any of Madigan’s prestigious Loop skyscraper clients. Madigan comes off as a common legislative grifter, eagerly and relentlessly using his power to chase after small potatoes.
The venality of the former House Speaker was one of the primary focuses of the Ken Griffin-backed slate of statewide Republican candidates which began its public roll-out last week.
All of the candidates did their best to blast Madigan and connect their opponents to the indicted former pol. The Republicans say the “Madigan issue” still polls quite well and it must (at least in the GOP primary), because the man was most certainly front and center last week. By my count, his name was mentioned 27 times, not including the press conference.
For instance, comptroller hopeful Shannon Teresi pointed out that incumbent Susana Mendoza began her career in the ward organization controlled by Ald. Danny Solis and once referred to Madigan as her “mentor.”
Steve Kim highlighted Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s acceptance of Madigan campaign money.
Secretary of state candidate John Milhiser claimed that as a former US Attorney he, “worked closely with the FBI, with the Northern District of Illinois in these investigations.
“There’ll be more prosecutions, more indictments coming down,” Milhiser predicted.
Rep. Tom Demmer, the slate’s candidate for treasurer, claimed House Republicans “created an environment where it became … impossible for [House Democrats] to refuse to hold their leader accountable. And by the time the next term rolled around, Mike Madigan didn’t have enough support to remain Speaker of the House.”
And gubernatorial candidate Richard Irvin said the state needs a governor who will “fight the Madigan Pritzker corruption that has plagued our state for decades.” His running mate, Rep. Avery Bourne, said she fought against Madigan’s “income tax hikes.”
They’re hardly the only Republicans who use the Madigan name to blast the other party. The state party and all the other candidates for governor all frequently recite the name like he never left the stage. And, for their purposes, he hasn’t.
And even some Democrats are quick to cite Madigan. “Everything that is tied to Madigan is called into question,” Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) told the Better Government Association last week.
Williams made her statement after she and a group of her colleagues requested that Gov. JB Pritzker temporarily freeze funding for some state construction projects that the BGA found were requested by Madigan. Pritzker quickly agreed to the freeze, but members of the Latino Caucus pointed out that they had actually requested the projects. After a quick double-check, the governor un-froze the funding.
I think Williams’ statement was right. Madigan’s involvement should be checked out whenever warranted.
But, as celebrated Madigan foe Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) told Ben Joravsky at the Chicago Reader: “All the best and worst things that have occurred in this state have his fingers on them.”
The Sun-Times has identified the developer prosecutors have said got pressured to hire the law firms of Indicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan (left) and indicted former Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th) as 601W Companies, best known in Chicago for redeveloping what’s now called the Old Post Office.
The New York developer that resurrected Chicago’s abandoned main post office now finds itself in the middle of two blockbuster political corruption cases.
Three years ago, the Chicago Sun-Times reported the developer, 601W Companies, was cooperating in the federal investigation of Ald. Edward M. Burke, who authorities later said had bullied the company to hire his law firm to lower the property taxes on what’s been branded the Old Post Office, which straddles the Eisenhower Expressway downtown. […]
“601W Companies and its representative were completely unaware of the alleged secret scheme between former Ald. Solis and Speaker Madigan to steer property tax work to Madigan’s law firm in exchange for a salaried appointment to a state board for Solis,” a written statement from the developer says. “The company and its representative have and will continue to fully cooperate with federal law enforcement authorities.”
* More…
* Did McClain speak for the House speaker Michael Madigan? A legal battle to watch for in Madigan case: To use McClain’s statements against Madigan, DePodesta said prosecutors will have to show first that a conspiracy existed involving the two men, and then that the statements in question were made “during and in furtherance” of that conspiracy. She said they’ll have to show their allegations are more likely true than not. And to help meet their burden, they’ll have Solis and Fidel Marquez, a onetime ComEd executive who pleaded guilty to a bribery conspiracy in 2020, agreeing to cooperate with the feds. Prosecutors would make their case in what’s known as a Santiago proffer, typically a highly detailed document filed closer to trial.
* Politico: A source close to former Michael Madigan’s court case disputes speculation based on previous high-profile indictments that the feds could go after his campaign fund — which currently sits at $10.5 million. The indictment against Madigan does not include charges related to his campaign. That differs from the corruption cases against former Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, where campaign funds were integral to the charges. In the case against Blago, the former Democratic governor was charged specifically with shaking down a hospital executive for a $50,000 campaign contribution. And in Ryan’s case, the indictment said his staffers (while he was secretary of state) were required to solicit campaign funds during the course of business hours.
* Mark Brown: Michael Madigan, Edward Burke corruption cases point to unrelenting greed, though they hardly needed more money
